Galt's Gulch
15

ASP3: This is John Galt

Posted by sdesapio 11 years, 6 months ago to Entertainment
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Ideally, the actor playing John Galt in Atlas Shrugged Part 3 will appear to have jumped right off of the pages of Atlas Shrugged. However, in our quest to find the perfect John Galt, some tough choices may have to be made. That's where you come in.

If you had to choose, which would you consider the number one priority in casting John Galt?

A. As long as the actor looks and acts like John Galt, I don't care what his personal beliefs are.
B. The actor needs to possess a deep understanding of, and passion for, Ayn Rand's ideas first and foremost.

Leave your answer in the comments below.

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  • Posted by ultlead 11 years, 6 months ago
    Ideally, John Galt should be an actor who can convey depth, compassion and intellectual honesty - someone who would make the audience REALLY think. An "everyman" quality people could also identify with. Sound familiar? Like Tom Hanks, perhaps? Matt Damon? John
    Voight is a good suggestion, too. Jim Caviezel is another good choice.
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  • Posted by Freedom2 11 years, 6 months ago
    A young Jon Voight would be good, so would John Wayne or Gary Cooper -- GIVEN those choices are not practical, I would go with an unknown. Who ever cast the original Dagney or Francisco has a good eye but there is NO STAR in Hollywood I can think of, who you should cast, EVEN if he paid for the whole movie!
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  • Posted by Mooses 11 years, 6 months ago
    I would go with Johnny Depp. Why? The juxtaposition implicit in him (of all people) playing Galt would make people listen for several reasons. He is widely recognized as a player of "serious" parts, his politics clash enough to make the part difficult enough to cause him to thoroughly study it to the director's satisfaction, and he is outside the mainstream enough to actuaqlly adopt much, if not most of the philosophy of Objectivism--about which (I believe) he has probably never really considered.
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    • Posted by Mooses 11 years, 6 months ago
      I would go further in stating that he is of gaunt appearance (or can be)--which is how Rand described Galt. The last two Galt's were more Hollywood He-men types than industrialists. (Think of JD Rockefeller or Ford.)
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      • Posted by Mooses 11 years, 6 months ago
        Short of picking Depp, I would suggest a man of hawkish features with a rational face. He must be almost too thin. He must appear be a man who is so driven by reason as to be unconcerned with personal bodily comforts. I know there are a lot of biases, but if you are to be true to the style, you must select such a man. he should be more mind than muscle--but well toned--and thin. Look at old pictures of construction workers from the '30's to see the look.
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  • Posted by JacquelineM51480 11 years, 6 months ago
    Possessing a deep understanding for the character should be foremost - but as someone has stated any actor worth their salt will want to read the book (hopefully more than once) and see the previous films. Also, I have to go with others and say Stephen Baldwin, Adam Baldwin or Gary Sinise - they're good actors and their views are similar to the character.
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  • Posted by Jphavelin 11 years, 6 months ago
    I would go for A, because actors need not embody (in their personal life) the aspects of the character they're portraying ... but--having said that--it would probably be a good thing if someone were found who fit both A AND B !!
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  • Posted by Chaiks 11 years, 6 months ago
    B. The actor needs to possess a deep understanding of, and passion for, Ayn Rand's ideas first and foremost.

    As a clarifier, these ideas should be limited to those found in Atlast Shrugged, and not to all of her personal beliefs.
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  • Posted by RGSchrader 11 years, 6 months ago
    Great question. There are some great actors, but I think if the actor has an understanding and passion that will come through and bring more authenticity to the character beyond just acting skills.
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  • Posted by stadler178 11 years, 6 months ago
    I'd choose A. I understand that one's personal beliefs could be distracting, but hey, if he disagrees with Rand, let's just let reality decide, eh? How about David Lyons ('The Cape')? I feel like he has the look I imagined when I read about John Galt and could probably handle the role well. I'm guessing your casting will be from TV actors primarily, so he seems like a logical choice. But reading that recent comment about Jim Caviezel, whoa, hadn't even thought of him, but he'd be perfect for the role, absolutely.
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  • Posted by fmotta 11 years, 6 months ago
    Is there really an actor that understands and likes Ayn Rand's philosophy? I doubt it. You better close the deal with somebody that looks like Galt and attract as much public as possible. Screw the actro's beliefs, as long as the message is passed on to millions of people. For all I care, you can pick Brad Pitt.
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    • Posted by Rocky_Road 11 years, 6 months ago
      You had me nodding along...until you brought up Brad Pitt.

      Too young, way to liberal, and too cute by half. He would sleepwalk through the part, and subconsciously sabotage the message to keep his Beverly Hill's standings.

      The actor has to be a Hollywood outsider, and fearless of the backlash.
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      • Posted by fmotta 11 years, 6 months ago
        Good point. But I think they should hire someone that can really attract public. The message is just too important, and honestly I think the first two parts didn't do a good job of delivering it. In fact, I'd rather have an HBO series with at least 10 episodes. Now THAT would do it...
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